Charles W. Morey Elementary School

Don't spend a lot of money on school supplies.  We have a lot of supplies at school.  Here's what your child will need:

It is great to have some supplies at home so that children can practice what they learn at school.  Pencils, crayons, and paper are great for practicing writing letters, numbers, and names. 

 

If you reduce screen time now, it will really help your child be ready for school.  We focus on language development through listening, speaking, reading and writing, so talking, playing games, and reading to your children in any language helps them be ready to learn.

 

Label your child's backpack, lunch box, coats, etc. by writing their name inside.  Children forget items or misplace them and we like to return them to their owners.

 

It is really helpful if you can work with your child on doing things by themselves.  This is especially true for using the bathroom, eating, and putting on their coats. We will always take care of your children if there is an accident or issue, but we really want our teachers to focus on teaching all of the learning standards to all of the children.  My mom always used to remind me when my children were young: Never do for a child what they can do for themselves!

It's also helpful for children to experience what I call "have to" tasks.  At school there are rules that we all have to follow to keep everyone safe and learning.  We try to provide many choices for children throughout the day, but some children have a hard time with the word "no" or when they don't have a choice.  As a parent (even with teenagers), I often explain to my kids that they need to do something and why they need to do it.  You can start this at home by asking your children to do things that are not preferred.  I often use a timer to help, such as "It will be time to clean up your toys in five minutes, when you hear the timer" and follow through.

 

Another parenting trick I still use with my own teenagers is to follow our school routines for going to bed and waking up a week before school starts.  Making sure that they have a good night's sleep and being awake with enough time to get ready and be on time is so important.  (It takes a week to get used to it...even for me!)